Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a tracking processing device and a tracking processing method used in the tracking processing of targets.
Background Information
There is a known tracking device that tracks a target (TT: target tracking) by using a radar signal reflected by the target (see Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. S61-186877 (Patent Literature 1), paragraphs [0006] and [0007] of Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2001-56375 (Patent Literature 2), paragraph [0028] of Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2003-48595 (Patent Literature 3), claim 1 of Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2003-329770 (Patent Literature 4), paragraph [0034] of Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2003-329771 (Patent Literature 5), and claim 1 of Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2000-304853 (Patent Literature 6), for example). The radar signal is obtained by a scanning operation using a radar antenna. The radar signal includes data that specifies the positions of a plurality of targets. The obtained radar signal is outputted to a tracking device. The tracking device estimates movement of a tracking target at the current scan time-point by using the results of predicting the movement of a tracking object in the past, and position information about the target included in the latest radar signal.
The configuration discussed in Patent Literature 1 involves storing the positions of tracking objects. The configuration discussed in Patent Literature 1 also involves searching for the positions of targets that can be paired with a selected target. The configuration discussed in Patent Literature 1 further involves calculating a predicted position for all of the targets that can be paired.
The configuration discussed in Patent Literature 2 involves performing foreground tracking and background tracking. “Foreground tracking” is tracking a target in a state in which it is displayed on a display device that this is a tracking object. “Background tracking” is tracking a target in a state in which it is not displayed on a display device that this is a tracking object. The configuration discussed in Patent Literature 2 involves receiving a command to display a background tracking object as the tracking object on a display device. When this command is received, the background tracking object is switched to the foreground tracking object.
The configuration discussed in Patent Literature 3 involves simultaneously tracking a plurality of targets. The configuration discussed in Patent Literature 3 involves displaying the tracking results for those targets with at least a preset importance out of the plurality of targets.
The target tracking device discussed in Patent Literature 4 comprises a hypothesis production means and a hypothesis selection means. The hypothesis production means goes back from the start of tracking to a past observation time-point and takes in observation information related to the position of a tracking object along a time series. The hypothesis production means then produces a hypothesis group. The hypothesis group indicates a combination of wakes predicted at each observation time-point until the time-point when tracking of the tracking object begins. The hypothesis selection means selects a hypothesis including the wake with the highest reliability from the hypothesis group, as the hypothesis to be used in tracking processing after the start of tracking of the tracking object.
The tracking device discussed in Patent Literature 5 involves predicting the point of impact of a target. More specifically, a variance-covariance matrix and a smooth vector used in tracking processing are calculated back over the past. This improves the accuracy of the initial value of point of impact prediction.
The tracking device discussed in Patent Literature 6 comprises a storage means, an information acquisition means, an estimation means, and a prediction means. The storage means stores detection information for the tracking object prior to the start of tracking, in time series. The information acquisition means uses the detection information to obtain movement information about the tracking object at the start of tracking. The estimation means estimates the path of the tracking object prior to the start of tracking, based on the movement information. The prediction means predicts movement of the tracking object at the start of tracking, based on the predicted path.